


Out of the Woods

by magicgamble



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, i love these two, idk i hope it's alright, they're my everything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-08-19
Packaged: 2018-08-09 05:43:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7788922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicgamble/pseuds/magicgamble
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jonathan + Nancy + Prom <3<br/>Takes place sometime after the events (?) of season 2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't hate Steve! Just for the record: I like Steve Harrington.

Nancy stared at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes blank and wet as her mother put the finishing touches on her hair. Her fingers paused, and then smoothed a lock away from Nancy’s forehead.

“Sweetie, what’s wrong?” she asked. “Do you not like it? Do you want to try something else?”

Nancy shook her head quickly. “No, no it’s great.”

Karen frowned, continuing to run her hand through her daughter’s hair.

Nancy wiped a stray tear off her cheek, forcing a smile. “It’s just... Barb should be here.”

Karen gave Nancy a sad smile through the mirror. “I know,” she whispered. “It’s hard.”

Nancy nodded, swallowing down the rest of her tears. “I’ll be fine.”

Karen leaned over and hugged her, both of them watching their reflections. “You look beautiful, sweetheart,” she said. “Go for both of you. Have fun. I can promise you, Barb would want you to.”

Nancy almost laughed. She doubted Barb would’ve ever guessed the details of her night.

“When does Jonathan get here?” Karen asked as she straightened.

Nancy smiled and glanced at the clock. “Soon. I should probably-”

The doorbell rang, and Karen grinned. “I guess _very_ soon. I’ll let him in. You take a minute if you need it.”

Nancy nodded. “Thanks, mom.”

*****

Jonathan’s temples buzzed as he rang the doorbell. He held the corsage in one hand and his camera in the other. It was heavy in his grasp as Mrs. Wheeler answered the door, and Jonathan couldn’t escape the thought that it should’ve been Steve, not himself, going to prom with Nancy.

Jonathan’s relationship with Steve had been different ever since he had shown up at the Byers' door that night, wanting to talk and winding up saving both him and Nancy from an unstoppable monster. Well, almost unstoppable. At least Eleven had made it back. When Steve had been taken, he hadn’t returned. It had torn a hole through Nancy, who was already reeling from Barb's death, but it had done a number on Jonathan too, who had started to see Steve Harrington as a friend. They'd been trying to live as normally as possible after they'd both survived yet another ordeal with the Upside Down, but that was easier said than done. Prom, however, fit into a mold they were so desperately trying to fit themselves back into. Ironic that they'd gone from shunning normalcy to begging for it. 

“Jonathan?” Mrs. Wheeler asked, looking concerned. Jonathan cleared his throat, realizing he’d just been standing there, lost in his thoughts.

“Sorry, hi, Mrs. Wheeler.”

“Are you okay?” she asked. His stomach turned. _Absolutely not._

“Yeah, great.”

She eyed him warily, and then bit her lip. Nancy did the same thing when she was nervous. “Nancy’s almost ready,” she said, opening the door wider so Jonathan could step inside.

“Oh, great, thanks.”

“Is Jonathan here?” Mr. Wheeler’s voice came from around the corner.

“He just walked in,” Mrs. Wheeler explained.

Mr. Wheeler walked in and held out his hand for Jonathan to shake. Jonathan juggled with getting a free hand until Mrs. Wheeler took the corsage from him. He let out a grateful, breathy chuckle and took Mr. Wheeler’s hand. “Not too late tonight,” Mr. Wheeler said, trying and failing to look stern.

Jonathan had spent enough time at the Wheelers’ house that he recognized that this whole interaction was mostly just for show. Mr. Wheeler had never been the type to care enough about scaring a date. He knew his lack of attentiveness bothered Nancy, but Jonathan would’ve much rather had a Mr. Wheeler than a Lonnie Byers.

“Yes sir,” Jonathan answered dutifully.

There was very nearly an awkward silence between the three of them, but thankfully, Nancy appeared at the top of the stairs.

Jonathan smiled as soon as he saw her, his chest constricting as he realized he really was taking Nancy Wheeler to prom. He never would’ve even considered it two years ago. He wouldn’t have even guessed he’d be going to prom, much less with Nancy, but now it had all changed. Now, though a part of him was anxious about the prom part of it, he would hate to be anywhere but with her. He slowly brought his camera up and snapped a quick shot of her coming down the stairs. He caught her in the middle of a protesting laugh.

“Jonathan!” she chastised, rolling her eyes.

He chuckled. “What? You look great.”

 _Great_ was an understatement. She looked beautiful. Not in the way she looked in her fur-lined jacket, wielding a baseball bat, or the way she looked when she sat in the darkroom at school, tossing him something from her lunch for him to catch in his mouth. All were Nancy, all beautiful, just caught in different moments.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, her cheeks flushed as pink as the dress she wore. Jonathan almost snapped another photo, but he managed to move the camera down to his side.

“Jonathan,” Mrs. Wheeler said. He turned. “Would you like me to take a picture of the two of you?” she asked.

His immediate response was to clutch the camera closer to his body. He never let anyone touch his camera. Not only that, but he was almost never on the other side of the lens. Nancy, of course, knew this, and was about to gently refuse, but Jonathan stepped up and held it out for Mrs. Wheeler to take.

Everyone seemed at least mildly surprised, but Mrs. Wheeler took it and stepped back. The two of them positioned themselves in front of the stairs, Jonathan’s hand on the back of her waist, her hand touching his arm.

“Wait!” Mr. Wheeler stopped them, holding  up his hands. “You forgot something!” he said, grabbing the corsage from the table Mrs. Wheeler had set it on. He handed it to Jonathan, who opened the box and slid the flower onto Nancy’s wrist. She grinned at him.

“Alright, everyone ready?” Mrs. Wheeler asked. They resumed their positions and the camera clicked.

Another moment captured. Pictures of himself were never his favorite, but Jonathan was excited to develop this one. A part of him really did want proof that they had done this.

They said their goodbyes, and made their way out to Jonathan’s car.

Nancy sighed once they were settled inside. “That was fairly painless.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “You showed up before we had to make too much small talk though.”

“Yeah.”

Jonathan was about to start driving off, but Nancy’s silence beside him was palpable. “Hey,” he said. “Are you okay?”

She had been staring at the dashboard, but she met his eyes and bit her lip. “No, not really,” she said. “I just-” Tears formed in her eyes. “I started missing Barb.”

Jonathan sighed quietly. “Right. I’m sorry, I should’ve-”

“No, no,” she hastened. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

Jonathan turned to face her in the seat. “Nancy, listen, we don’t have to...”

“No, Jonathan, no,” she said, putting her hand on his. “Let’s go and have fun, alright?”

Jonathan must have made a sound, because Nancy chuckled and said, “oh come on, it _will_ be fun.”

He looked back at her, at the way she tilted her head at him, at the slight pursing of her lips. “Yeah,” he agreed, smiling, and started the car.


	2. Chapter 2

The dance was in full swing by the time Nancy and Jonathan arrived. Hawkins was too small for the prom to be held anywhere but the school gym, but no one ever minded. In fact, as soon as they pulled up, Nancy could sense the pressure everyone had put on themselves to make it an enjoyable night. It wasn't surprising, considering all of the loss the town had been dealt. First there had been the scare with Will. Then Barb, so soon after. Now, Steve Harrington was gone too. 

Nancy froze on her way to the gym, her breath catching. Music blasted out of the doors, and a stray balloon drifted up above them, lost in the stars. 

Jonathan stopped too, and turned to face her. "Nancy?" 

She stared down the doors of the gym. They were open, ready for her, but how was she expected to manage this when just _existing_ took such a heavy toll on her? Was all of this even worth it, without her best friend or her first love? She shook her head, angry and hurting, but then her eyes landed back on Jonathan's face. A memory danced through her head.  _What's the weirdest part: me or the bear traps?_

"You," she whispered. 

His eyebrows drew low over his eyes. "What?" 

"I've got you," she said. 

His expression changed, though not away from worry, and he stepped towards her, taking her hands in both of his own. "You've got me," he assured her. 

Nancy would never find anyone to replace Barb, nor would she want to, but if she was asked about her closest friend, the first person she would think of was standing right in front of her. And though Steve- charismatic, kind, and cliche as he was, had been Nancy's first love, she had grown to realize that he wouldn't be her last. No. That was Jonathan Byers, and he was here, looking concerned and surprisingly adorable in his tux.

"Do we really want to go in there?" she asked.

Jonathan glanced back at the gym and made a face, hearing enough of an answer in Nancy's question to voice his true opinion. They both continued to stand in the parking lot, waiting for a decision, when Jonathan said, "We _did_ already get tickets." 

"One dance wouldn't hurt," Nancy asserted at the same time. They glanced at each other, chuckling, and then walked hand-in-hand toward the open doors.

The music had shifted while they had debated in the parking lot, and now instead of a fast, steady beat, there was a low, swaying melody. "Just in time, I guess," Jonathan said as they waded through the tables on their way to the dance floor.

Nancy was aware of the looks they were getting. How could she not be? If it wasn't her, she would be just as confused as everyone else. They had started off as friends, after Will had gone missing, but anyone could've explained that away. It was a stressful time for everyone; Jonathan needed a friend, and their brothers' friendship connected them, in a small way. What was more difficult to explain was how quickly that friendship had grown into something else entirely- something even Nancy hadn't been sure about. What they had experienced together was impossible for other people to understand. 

"Is there a part of you," Jonathan started, as they latched together, starting to sway, "that likes all of the stares?" 

Her mouth fell open in amused shock. "Oh my god," she snickered. Then, after a moment, "I mean, yeah."

He just smiled.

"What?" Nancy edged. "What do you think about it?" 

"I think it's kind of funny," he admitted. 

Nancy shrugged. "We're not such a weird couple." 

Jonathan looked down at her, knitting his eyebrows like she had hit her head or something. "Nancy..." 

"We're not! Not  _really._ " 

"We are." 

She shrugged again, liking this- the feel of his arms around her, the music, the dim lighting- too much to keep talking through it. Like he could sense it, he seemed to soften under her touch, pulling her in closer. She smiled. This wasn't so bad at all. Not when it was like this; just her and Jonathan, the way she liked it. Her head was just coming down to rest on his chest when a crash sounded behind her. She snapped up, alert, heart hammering, and Jonathan's arms tightened around her, but then he sighed. 

"Someone spilled the punch," he said, and she turned to see a girl in her English class rush to the bathroom, covered in punch and about an inch away from tears. 

"Oh," Nancy breathed, ignoring the fact that, for a moment, they'd both been terrified of nothing more than a broken punch bowl. 

"What's the matter, Princess?" a voice sneered next to them. Nancy closed her eyes briefly, bracing herself for whatever Carol was about to say. 

"Nothing," Nancy said, just as the song ended. She and Jonathan separated, both probably thinking about how they'd fulfilled their one dance minimum. "The noise startled me, that's all." 

Carol stood there beside them, looking deceptively sweet besides her curled lip and Tommy H hanging over her shoulders. "Good thing you had Byers to protect you, huh?" 

Nancy rolled her eyes, wanting nothing less in the world than to be interacting with these two jerks, and Jonathan nodded towards the door. She agreed. She could tell that whatever fun they were going to have at the prom had already happened. “We were just leaving,” she explained, trying to push past them, but Tommy removed himself from Carol and blocked their way.

“What?” he asked in a syrupy voice, “you just got here!" 

“Tommy, move,” Nancy said.

"Come on," he goaded. "Don't get too bent outta shape. You can’t come and then expect people not to stare at the freak show.”

“Get out of the way,” Jonathan said, firmly pushing Tommy back.

Tommy’s eyes darkened. “Don't touch me, Byers.”

“Come on, Jonathan,” Nancy said, gently pulling his arm. "They'll always be like this," she reminded him, not caring that they could hear. After Steve, they'd become even worse than they were before. Nancy couldn't bring herself to care what they felt. They had never been real friends to Steve, and they certainly had never made life any easier for her or Jonathan. 

Jonathan's shoulders lost their tension, and he followed Nancy away from Carol and Tommy. 

"One dance was enough," she said, once they were outside.

"Yeah," he agreed. "And.. now I can say I did it." 

She smiled. "Did what?" 

"Went to prom, first of all," he chuckled. "And with Nancy Wheeler, no less." 

She grabbed his hand, trying to hide her grin when he looked surprised. She couldn't believe he sometimes  _still_ looked surprised. "I think we spent just enough time in there," she told him. "Let's go get something to eat; I'm starving." 

"Yeah," he said. "And you know, the music totally sucked." 


End file.
